Museveni calls for ceasefire, dialogue to end Sudan war
President Museveni meets delegation from the Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council led by the deputy chairperson, Mr Malik Agar, at State House Entebbe on Wednesday. PHOTO | PPU
What you need to know:
- Two armed forces have been fighting for the last 10 months, leading to more than 15,000 deaths and displacing about 10 million.
President Museveni has again appealed to the two warring factions in Sudan to find means of ending the ongoing civil war and restore peace and sanity in the country.
Two armed forces, one led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the chairperson of the Transitional Sovereign Council; and the other, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia led by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have been fighting for the last 10 months, leading to more than 15,000 deaths and displacing about 10 million.
Speaking to a delegation from Gen Al-Burhan’s camp led by the deputy chairperson of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Mr Malik Agar, at State House Entebbe on Wednesday, Mr Museveni emphasised the need for all stakeholders in the war to come together and engage in dialogue on the problem.
Mr Museveni, according to the statement released by the State House Press Unit, informed Mr Agar that the two warring factions will get a solution if they come together because “once the problem is identified, it becomes easier to isolate it and bring about peace in the country.”
“President Museveni reiterated his message to the fighting forces in Sudan, urging them to cease fire, hold peaceful elections, and grant power to the people of Sudan to elect their own leaders,” reads part of the statement.
The State House said the two leaders agreed on a proposed framework within which to resolve the crisis in the Republic of Sudan.
“H.E. Malik informed President Museveni that H.E. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is willing to participate in the peace process for the Republic of Sudan as long as the conditions are favorable for the people of Sudan,” the statement reads.
Gen Al-Burhan camp’s visit to Uganda came barely a month after Sudan snubbed attending the 42nd Extraordinary Summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) that was held in Kampala on January 18.
Sudan chose to snub the summit because it accused the conveners of, among others, including the ongoing war on the Agenda, without consulting them and also inviting Gen Dagalo on the list of attendees.
The assembly, which was chaired the IGAD chairperson, the Djibouti President, Mr Ismail Omar Guelleh, and attended by several dignitaries, including Mr Museveni, Kenyan President William Ruto and Somalia president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, made several recommendations, including a call for restoration of peace in Sudan.
The Wednesday meeting came about two months after President Museveni met Gen Dagalo in December last year where they, among others, discussed the ongoing war and how it can be ended.
During the December 13 meeting, Mr Museveni tasked the Sudan rebel leader to explain the genesis of the war which he did.
Gen Dagalo later day said in a statement that, “I provided His Excellency President Museveni with a detailed explanation about the reasons for the outbreak of the war, which was ignited by the remnants with the help of their leaders in the armed forces and the parties that obstruct the solution and support the continuation of the war.”
